Special to the Van Nuys News Press, Alaska Science Forum: Rod Boyce
As presidential bill signings go, H.R. 6486 wasn’t a particularly exciting one for the nation on July 31, 1946.
But it would prove historic for the University of Alaska and the future state.
It was the day that President Harry Truman signed legislation creating what today is the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. The institute is now recognized as a global leader in Arctic research.
Friday marked the institute’s 80th anniversary.
The Congressional Record entry for H.R. 6486 notes the university had been performing geophysical research for numerous federal agencies, including defense agencies, since 1941.
It adds that the research has “produced results not only of direct military application in the war emergency but also of value as a contribution to scientific knowledge…”
Construction continues on the Elvey Building, circa 1968. The tall column in the middle is the shaft for elevators, a fire escape stairway and access to utilities for each of the building’s eight floors.
It also looked far into the future by stating, “… there is a necessity for indefinite continuation of geophysical research in the Arctic in the postwar period …”
Although Friday is the 80th anniversary, the effort to create the institute started 10 years earlier. It was in October 1936 that the University of Alaska Board of Regents unanimously approved a resolution offering the federal government a campus site for a building devoted largely to geophysics.
The Sept. 1, 1946, edition of the University of Alaska’s Farthest North Collegian newspaper notes President Harry Truman’s signing of legislation creating a geophysical institute on the campus. The newspaper had been regularly reporting on the legislation’s progress.
“The Board of Regents’ foresight and vision from nearly a century ago is inspiring,” Interim UA President Michelle Rizk said as the anniversary approached. “They recognized UA’s unique position and capabilities and our tremendous potential.”
“The faculty, staff and student researchers of today’s Geophysical Institute are continuing the great work of the generations that came before them and are building the foundation for those yet to come,” she said.
The Board of Regents’ initial effort stalled when the Territorial Legislature rejected a proposal to fund construction.
By 1945, wartime geophysical research had renewed interest in the proposal within Congress. Support also came from across the Truman administration.
Secretary of War Robert Patterson wrote in April 1946:
“The establishment of the institute would be of direct benefit to various activities contemplated by the War Department. Its facilities would be of great use in connection with Arctic mapping and construction in Arctic regions of civil and military works.”
Navy Secretary James Forrestal added in an April 17 letter:
“The future should give to Alaska an important place in the trade and commerce of the world. With this increased importance, the United States should be prepared to take advantage of all its possibilities in an orderly and methodical fashion. It is believed that a geophysical institute would be a valuable agency in the development of this territory.”
University President William Wood shakes C.T. Elvey’s hand at ceremonies to dedicate the Elvey Building in May 1969.